Valkyrie
by Silmarilz1701
Summary: With the collapse of both SHIELD and HYDRA, certain experiments engaged in by the latter organization are let loose on the world. Some of these are the victims of prejudice and paranoia by the general public. One is a girl named Tess Myria, a young woman who was experimented upon by HYDRA and given a unique super power: Flight. What happens when she enters the real world?
1. No More HYDRA?

Tess woke up with a start. Her black hair flowed over her shoulders as she wiped a few strands from her sweaty face. She felt the ground with her hands and she recognized the typical concrete flooring of her room.

Well to call it a room would be incorrect. In reality, it was a cell. After all, she was little better than a prisoner here; at least she was fed, clothed, and given a sense of purpose, however. And she didn't have to worry about SHIELD taking her into custody.

She scooted forward to investigate what had woken her up. In her dream there had been yelling and screaming, and rushing of people all around her trying to escape something. She'd gotten a glimpse of the area and it appeared to be Washington, DC. That wasn't far from where she was located, outside of the DC area in Virginia at an old army base.

The first thing Tess noticed was the silence. It was an unnatural silence. There was no beeping of the security system telling the inhabitants of the cells that it was on. There were no HYDRA agents or doctors rushing around outside tending to the experiments. It was just…silent.

Sitting up, Tess tentatively tried to open her door, and to her surprise it swung open with ease. She was no longer locked inside. And why was there no security system active? She walked over to a set of control panels. As she did so she used the extra space to spread her wings.

Yes, wings. She literally spread her wings, giving them a nice stretch. They were huge wings, long enough so that when curled up, they just barely reached the floor. The wings were a rich, chocolate brown color and were strong. Very strong.

She tapped a few buttons on the control panel and a video feed popped up. On the screen were the images from her dream. The Triskelion, in flames, crumpling. On the news was footage of Captain America and a friend, glorifying how they saved everyone again. But then it cut to news that SHIELD was exposed. That they were no more.

"No more SHIELD?"

That meant… no more HYDRA? Did that mean she was free? But where would she go? What would she do? No. For now, she would stay put. She was a mutation after all, she would probably scare half the world if she went planet-side.

* * *

"So you think there's a HYDRA base outside of Washington, DC," Sam Wilson asked Steve as they hung at a coffee shop in town.

"Yeah, I want to go check it out tonight. According to the papers that Natasha got us, it might connect with the Winter Soldier. Apparently they did genetic experiments there."

"Sounds... HYDRA-y."

Later that day, around five o'clock, the two of them headed out to find this HYDRA base. It was beneath an old army base in Northern Virginia. When they arrived there, they knocked on the door. No one answered.

"Not sure if that's a good or a bad sign," Sam joked lightly as they broke down the door.

"Let's hope it's a good sign," Steve replied with a smirk.

As they entered the base, they found it empty.

Tess Myria was starving. It'd been a week since she'd last been fed, the night before everyone disappeared. She'd found water bottles strewn throughout the base so she wasn't dying of thirst, but boy was she hungry. She'd made her way back down to her cell when she heard a crash and voices. Instantly she panicked. Who the hell was in here? What would they do when they saw her? She was a freak, a lab experiment. She wasn't really a human being any more. She was more of a bird-human hybrid!

She cowered back into a corner and her wings began shaking as they always did when she was frightened. The voices were getting closer. She heard footsteps. What was she going to do?!

"And so I told Veronica-"

"Shh," Steve warned. He drew out his gun. He'd heard something around the corner.

Sam Wilson followed suit and drew his own guns. They rounded the corner and what they saw amazed them.

There was a girl, if girl she was, cowering in a corner surrounded by metal consoles and other lab equipment. But the most stunning thing of all was that she had WINGS!

"Who are you!"

The girl was shaking terribly, and suddenly her wings sprung out to the side. She had at least a six foot wingspan. They were flapping wildly as she remained petrified where she was.

"Hey, hey! Calm down," Sam said quickly, somewhat harshly, "Just answer the questions!"

"What's your name," Steve insisted, lowering his gun.

"T- Tess."

"Alright, Tess, I'm Steve, and this is Sam. We aren't going to hurt you. We promise."


	2. Wingspan

"Who- Who are you," Tess demanded, still frightened.

"I'm Captain America, and this is the Falcon. You don't have to worry," Steve insisted.

"That means you're SHIELD," she screamed, horrified. HYDRA had told her about SHIELD.

"Look, kid, SHIELD isn't around anymore," Sam clarified.

"But, but SHIELD hunts down people like me!"

"Well, we're not hunting down anybody," Steve comforted her, "We're here to help. We didn't even know you were here in the first place. You gave us quite a surprise."

"Is that supposed to mean something, something about my wings," Tess said angrily. No one insulted her wings.

"No! We just didn't expect to find ANYONE," Sam told her quickly.

Tess narrowed her eyes but folded her wings up. She dropped to the floor on all fours in exhaustion and lack of food. Her wings were awful heavy, after all, and sometimes when she got like this they were too heavy to hold upright.

"What's the matter," Steve asked, rushing forward.

Sam followed closely behind.

"Food."

"You need food?"

She nodded, feeling sick again. But she had nothing in her stomach to throw up. So she heaved, but nothing came. She need food as soon as possible.

"Sam-"

"-already on it, sir," Sam Wilson grinned, handing him a protein bar from the stash they always carried around.

"Eat this," Steve told her, "Slowly."

"Thank you!"

She gobbled it up, starving.

"I said slowly," Steve grinned, amused.

"Sorry," she said pitifully, afraid of the punishment that was certainly to come. She flinched and cowered back.

"Hey, it's alright," Steve comforted her, "Don't worry, you aren't in trouble."

"I'm not?"

"No."

Sam and Steve shared a look of concern. What had this girl gone through while here in this HYDRA base?

"Tess, I'd like to take you back with me to be with some of my friends," Steve casually approached the subject that was so pertinent.

She froze, "But everyone will hate me. I'm a mutation, a freak, no longer human! How can you expect me to face the real world?"

"With my friends you will be safe," he assured her.

"Who are your friends?"

"Fury named us the Avengers."

"THE Avengers? Like… Earth's mightiest heroes, Avengers? SHIELD Avengers?"

"Yes…"

"I can't go with you guys. I- I just can't."

"Why not?"

"SHIELD hates… things… like me. You hunt us down and kill us. Murder us in our sleep!"

"Where'd you hear that," Sam Wilson asked her in confusion.

Tess looked at him like he was crazy, "My Caretakers."

"Caretakers?"

"The people who gave me food and water and let me outside to stretch my wings at night. The ones who helped me when the doctors came and the tests were run."

"So… HYDRA?"

"Yes, they were HYDRA. So," Tess stated obviously, "HYDRA protected me from the outside world. Kept me safe when others like SHIELD would hunt me down! Would kill me!"

"Well we can't leave you here, so I'm sorry, but I'm calling in the StarkJet to pick us up tonight, okay?"

"Do you promise no one will hurt me?"

"I promise."

Tess nodded hesitantly. She sat down on a bench, her wings hanging off behind her. She was nervous, but she kind of liked these two men. Despite all the warning signs her brain was telling her, they seemed to know what they were doing and that was comforting. They didn't seem too perturbed about her wings, either. To her sixteen year old mind it was comforting.

After Steve went outside to make the call and finally came back in, Tess showed them the other empty cells where they could sleep.

"Maria used to be in here," Tess explained, "HYDRA taught her how to speak to people with her mind."

"Who was in this place over here," Sam asked. The cell walls had burn marks all over them.

"That was Jonathon. He was able to create fire."

"And here?"

"Jena," she said in disgust, "She was HYDRA's prized possession. She could turn invisible, but there was a telltale ripple in the air that if you knew what to look for, you could find. So I know she isn't here."

She told them they could pick any of the rooms. She apologized for the lack of accommodations, but they told her it was fine.

"Get a few hours rest," Steve insisted, "The jet should be here in several hours. I'll keep watch, Sam."

"Right."

When the Jet did arrive, Tess was frightened. She assured them she would be alright, despite her shaking wings. Steve took her hand and told her to be calm and not to worry.

"It'll all be fine, I promise."

"Can you? Can you promise?"

Steve was a bit put off by the question. He supposed he couldn't promise that. No one could."

"Alright. I promise I will do my best to be sure it'll be okay. That, I CAN promise."

The several hour flight to New York City went by quickly for Tess. She explained to Captain America and Falcon that she was nicknamed Valkyrie by the HYDRA caretakers, after the Norse creatures of Legend that were half man and half bird. Steve was a bit put off because the Valkyrie of legend were the harbingers of death, not something you nickname a child.

For a child Tess was. She was little over 16, and still had the teenager way about her. Quick to trust but quicker to scare and be lost forever. Once you lost a teenager's trust, it was nearly impossible to get it back, so Steve knew he had to be careful around her.

"We're here," Steve said as they landed on the small platform at Avengers Tower. After the Battle of New York, it had been expanded to fit the StarkJet when rebuilt. Natasha Romanoff was waiting at the door into the tower for them.

"Welcome back," she nodded blandly, "You said there was a kid coming?"

"Yeah, her name's Tess. She was genetically experimented on by HYDRA. Sam and I found her in a base outside of DC. We couldn't just leave her."

"Genetic experiments? What kind of-"

Tess walked out of the jet, and let her wings spread far and wide. She let the sun shine on her face and felt the breeze in her wings. Ah, how relaxing it was.

"Oh. Wow."


	3. Home Away from Home

_A/N: Thank you everyone for reading. I really appreciate your time and especially reviews because they improve my writing! And that's all I can hope for._

_Just as a note, I have a new twitter handle Silz_FanFics which if you follow, you can expect updates about when I'm writing, what story I'm working on, teasers for each chapter, and you can ask me anything you like. This is also so I can keep you guys up to date on my health. Don't feel it necessary to follow me, but I intend to make it interactive and fun!_

* * *

"Yeah," Sam nodded, "The girl has REAL wings."

"Feeling jealous, Sam," Natasha grinned.

"What, me?!"

Steve, meanwhile, was explaining to Tess who the woman was.

"She's a former SHIELD member too," Steve told her, "And if she comes off a little cold don't take it personally."

Tess nodded, folding her wings back in and realizing that this person was probably one of the many SHIELD people who were sent to kill mutations like her. She probably shouldn't be showing off her wings. This "Natasha Romanoff" might take it personally and decide to kill her, even though SHIELD was no longer a thing. Tess felt her legs shaking again in fear.

"So, what's your name," Nat asked gruffly.

"Tess Myria, sir."

Natasha gave her a nod, "Welcome to Avengers Tower. I'm Natasha Romanoff."

"Steve told me," Tess nodded, "Please- don't kill me."

Natasha even couldn't suppress the look of surprise that appeared on her face, "I'm not going to kill you. If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead already. Now come on, the rest of us are inside."

Tess looked down at the floor and shuffled her wings subconsciously, just as one of any human would shuffle their hands. She followed Steve, Natasha, and Sam inside the tower.

"Tony, Clint, Pepper, and Bruce are all hanging in the Lounge," Natasha told Steve, Sam, and Tess.

"Do any of them want me dead," she muttered quietly.

"No," Natasha spun around in confusion, "We wouldn't have brought you here if we wanted you dead. If one of us wanted you dead, you'd be lying in a ditch somewhere so mangled that the only identification would be through DNA testing. You're here because you'll be safest here."

Tess blushed.

Steve opened up a door into a lounge area where a giant flat screen TV was on, showing a soccer game. Three men sat on a couch in front of the TV while a woman sat in a chair nearby sipping on some tea. Suddenly two of the men jumped up with a shout of glee.

"I KNEW BRAZIL WOULD PULL THROUGH!"

"So much for your underdogs, Bruce!"

"No need to rub it in Tony," the third, seated man sighed, taking a drink of his water.

"Brazil is badass," the first man said.

"Clint, would you sit down. You too Tony," Natasha shouted above the TV.

Everyone turned to look at Natasha and Tony was about to say something when they caught sight of the newcomer.

"Wow."

"This is Tess, she's going to be staying with us for a while," Natasha introduced her, "She was experimented on by HYDRA so she's got nowhere to go. Steve and Sam found her."

"Hey Clint! Now you've got competition, Hawk-man!"

Tess blushed angrily. She didn't appreciate any slights against her wings.

"Tony," Pepper said in disgust, "Watch your mouth. The poor girl has probably been through enough without you making it any worse!"

"Sorry, sorry!"

"Nice wings," Clint nodded, "They're kind of cool! How long have you had them?"

"A year and a half, maybe," Tess mused, "Maybe a little longer."

"Impressive. I'm Clint Barton, by the way."

"Thank you, Clint."

"Welcome to Avengers Tower, Tess. I'm Dr. Bruce Banner. Call me Bruce."

"Okay, and thank you."

"Come on, I'll show you to your room," Bruce offered, "I think Natasha wants to watch the rest of the soccer game. I don't. Chile isn't doing too well."

"Alright," Tess gave a little smile.

Bruce led her to an elevator not far from the couches and pressed number 39. He explained that Natasha and Clint were the two floors above her. He pointed out where the pool was, the lounge, and the labs.

"There's also a roof-top lounge," Bruce added, "Might take a look at that."

"I will! Definitely!"

"So," Bruce started after a minute, "What was it like, the experiments they ran on you? Probably painful."

"Yes, they were," she said awkwardly, "If you don't mind me asking, why should I tell you?"

"I'm a Doctor. It's what I do. Experiments, not on humans or animals, but I'm curious. And," he hesitated, "I'm a mutation myself. Ever heard of the Hulk?"

"You're the HULK?!"

"Yes, that's me. Unfortunately."

"Why unfortunately? You are so strong and powerful in that form!"

"I guess so," Bruce nodded, "But I'd like to keep my intellect as well. And I can just barely control him. Sometimes he gets so strong he overpowers me."

"That would be scary, I suppose," Tess agreed, "but compared to my freak show, it's not that bad. Because at least you can hide yours most of the time."

"Here's your room."

* * *

"She got away?!"

"Yes sir- sorry sir- we forgot her!"

"You FORGOT our project? HOW COULD YOU FORGET?!"

"It was crazy, sir, trying to get out before any of the former SHIELD agents showed up and routed us. We got as many out as we could and by the time we remembered to get her, Captain America and his Falcon sidekick had already cleared out the place."

"Well that's the last mistake you'll make."

The screech was so loud, the other agents heard it a mile away.

* * *

Tess spent the remainder of the day lying in her bed. It was strange, having her very own bedroom. She'd never had one, even before signing up with the HYDRA program. Ah, the HYDRA Program. She could never decide if that had been her best decision or biggest mistake of her life. There was no in between. There were never any in betweens in her life.

Tess had been born in Chicago, Illinois, and was immediately placed in the foster care system. Her first family had been amazing- they'd raised Tess like a daughter and ever since then, Tess had taken their family name as her own: Myria. But then those parents had been forced to move because the father signed up for the military, and Tess couldn't go with them. So she ended up in a group home. And the group home had been hell. No one cared about anyone in there. Ever. As soon as she could, Tess had run away and gotten out. It had been in those days on the run that HYDRA had approached her and offered her a chance at freedom.

But that chance at freedom had come with a price.


	4. Getting Out of the Tower

"Come on, kid, time to come out," Tony banged on the door.

It'd been two days and they hadn't seen Tess, not even for meals. The only indication that she was still in Avengers Tower was the fact that there was unaccountable food missing each morning. The Avengers were beginning to worry about her.

Finally Tess came to the door, "What?"

"Come on, we're going ice-skating today. I booked the whole rink so no worries about your wings."

"Really, I don't think-"

"-then don't think. Just come on," he grabbed her arm and pulled her out of her room with a grin.

"Alright, alright, geez! Let me get changed first! I can't go skating in PJs!"

"Oh."

Tess rolled her eyes and went back inside her room. She grabbed a special no-back tee-shirt that allowed her wings to remain open and tied that on. It was a long-sleeved halter top that Tony had had custom made for her by Jarvis yesterday. Then she slipped on a pair of jeans and fastened those on with a belt. Last of all she put on her socks and shoes.

She joined the Avengers in the lounge for breakfast. She had a couple poptarts. Little did the Avengers know how… eventful… going ice-skating would be.

"Everyone ready?"

Tony was standing in the door way with Pepper and Happy. Happy had started the limo for them and Pepper couldn't wait to spend time with the newest female inhabitant of Avengers Tower. Wings shaking slightly, Tess got up from her chair with the rest of the Avengers and walked out the hallway into the massive garage.

"We're taking this limo today, folks," Happy told them, gesturing to a limo that was longer than the rest, "Thought It'd give you all enough space."

"Thanks, man," Tony nodded, slipping into the car.

Finally only Tess and Clint remained to get in. Tess slowly eased her way into the car, the low ceiling slightly difficult for her because of her wings. But at last she managed to get in. Climbing back into the limo where the empty seats were was a challenge though.

"Oof, I'm sorry, guys," she squeaked, after hitting Tony and then Natasha in the face.

Clint, still outside, was trying admirably to refrain from laughing at the spectacle. When at last Tess was settled, he climbed in after her and took his spot next to her.

"It's alright, Tess," Steve assured her.

"Speak for yourself," Tony joked, "But really, it's fine."

"Again, I'm so sorry."

The ride over was conspicuously filled with conversation. Tess could tell they were trying to ease the obtrusive awkwardness that Tess felt by communicating with her.

"So, have you ever been ice-skating," Pepper asked her.

"Yes, before I got my wings I used to go weekly. I'm afraid of how my wings will have messed up my form," Tess admitted.

"I'm sure you'll do wonderful," Pepper shook her head, "After all, the wings might even help with the balance!"

"I suppose you're right."

"Of course she's right! She's Pepper Potts," Clint shouted, to which everyone told him to lower his voice: they were RIGHT there.

All the Avengers really liked Pepper. She was like a mother they'd never had. Okay, okay, maybe only Clint felt that way, but everyone still liked her. To Tony she was the most amazing girlfriend, to Natasha she was a good friend, to Bruce she was a trusted "family member", and to Clint, well, she was a mom. Tess wasn't so sure about Pepper Potts yet.

"Here we are," Happy told them, taking on his usual gruff stance, "Everyone be careful. I'll cover the entrance."

Clint rolled his eyes. They were Avengers. They didn't need a bodyguard. After all, he was pretty sure at least he, Natasha, and probably Steve too were all armed. Conceal carry and all that jazz.

Tess got out a bit more gracefully this time, slightly more used to her wings than before. But when she got out, she was face to face with a little boy eating ice cream.

And the boy dropped his ice-cream. He stared, open mouthed, at her as he realized she had wings.

"Oh my gosh, what ARE you?! Are you an ALIEN?!"

"No, I'm a kid."

"You're a freak, that's what," said an older boy, probably the little boy's brother, "Come on Kevin, mom's waiting in the car. You heard them, the ice rink is closed for a private event."

Tess blushed at the term freak and hit her face from the boys. She followed the Avengers inside. She could tell that Clint and Natasha had heard the exchange because they looked furious. Her wings were drooping, trailing on the ground.

"Seven people, six adults and one child," Pepper ordered the passes, "We're scheduled under my name, Pepper Potts."

"Ah yes, we have you right- OH MY GOD does she have WINGS?!"

"Yes, she does," Pepper said matter-of-factly, "Now give us the passes."

"Right, um, sorry. What size skates?"

They ordered their ice-skates before heading out on to the ice rink. Tess stepped out onto the ice and promptly fell over backwards, her wings causing her to be top heavy.

"I'm sorry, guys," she muttered, getting up onto her knees and then onto her toe-picks.

She skated bent over, trying to get used to the balancing. Grabbing the wall, she turned to look at everyone else. Tony and Pepper were skating hand-in-hand around the rink. Clint was doing fancy moves while Natasha skated with him, rolling her eyes as he fell once or twice. Steve was hesitantly skating, but seemed fine with it.

Tess, newly resolved to skate, found herself spreading her six-foot wings out as she skated away from the wall. She decided to try a cross-over. Success! Maybe she could try and double back cross over. Again, success. Now for a spin!

She gracefully spun in place on her toe-pick, her wings giving her extra balance and support while she skated. She could do it! Tess was so excited.

"You're doing amazing, Tess," Clint called over, "That was gorgeous!"

"Thank you!" she grinned.

They spent another hour or so skating, Tess trying out her wings on the ice. She was beginning to think maybe the sacrifices she had made to get these extra appendages were finally paying off. But when it was time to leave, she regretted her decision ten-fold.

As they walked out of the ice-rink, they were met with a crowd of reporters.

"Who is this girl?"

"How does she have wings?"

"Why is she spending time with the Avengers?"

"Is she a new Avenger?"

"Is she nice?"

"How did you find her?"

Tess almost cried.


	5. A Visitor

"Uh- we aren't taking questions at this time," Tony insisted, stepping out in front of Tess, between her and the crowd of reporters.

"Mr. Stark! Is she your daughter?"

"WHAT? NO! Why would I have a daughter with wings! She's just some kid," Tony

Just some kid. Tess supposed she should have been expecting that. She'd done nothing to earn the Avengers' respect yet. To them she really was "just some kid." Again, should've expected that.

They hurried into the limousine as fast as possible, Tess doing some A-grade maneuvering with her wings to fit inside. She insisted on going in first this time to avoid hitting anyone with her extra-long appendages. Then Clint, Natasha, Steve, Pepper, Tony, and finally Bruce climbed inside. Happy shut the door and drove off.

"Well that was awkward," Clint joked.

Tess gave him a look that said "obviously."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Tony laughed a little, "They just can't leave us alone."

"Let's just get home," Tess muttered, shuffling her wings into a more comfortable position.

When they did reach home, it was lunch time. Clint suggested ordering pizza and they all agreed to that.

"I haven't had pizza in years, literally," Tess said excitedly.

"No way," Tony gawked, "Years! Jarvis! Order enough pizza for dinner too!"

"Understood sir- and welcome Ms Myria. I do not believe I was introduced," Jarvis spoke, the accusation at Tony evident in his tone of voice.

"Don't get your wires in knot, J! I forgot!"

"Evidently, sir."

Tess smiled at the AI and Tony bickering.

When the pizza finally got there, Bruce and Tony carried it up the elevator to the kitchen where informal meals were eaten. Tess sat next to Steve and Clint, who was on the end. Natasha was on Clint's other side, across from Tess, and Bruce sat next to her. Then Pepper and Tony sat in the last two spots.

"Where is Thor," Tess suddenly asked.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

"Sir- Thor is at the door with two women."

"Well wouldn't you know," Steve laughed.

"TWO women?" Was all Tony got from that.

"Send them up Jarvis," Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Understood Ms Potts."

"Thor hasn't shown his face in months," Clint said in surprise, "Not since he first came back after the London incident. Which, by the way, took months to clean up by SHIELD, you know."

"Yeah, only the two of us had to deal with that," Natasha grunted in irritation, "They sent me and Clint off to hunt down this huge monster that came through one of the holes. It was like a giant lizard dog!"

"Friends!"

They all turned to find Thor and two women, as Jarvis had said, standing in the doorway.

"Thor, buddy," Clint shouted, raising his glass, "Welcome home!"

"Actually, this is what we need to talk about," Thor shuffled his feet, "We have no home."

"Well, you'll just have to live here then," Tony insisted.

Thor laughed, "I was hoping you would say thus! Avengers, meet my companions, my Lady Jane Foster, and our friend Lady Darcy Lewis."

"Heyyy," Darcy waved, "We were living out of my house for a while but I lost my job and we can't pay the rent…"

"Nice to meet you Darcy," Pepper got up from her chair and shook their hands, "You too, Jane."

"So this is Jane," Clint eyed mischievously, "We've heard a lot about you."

"Ignore Clint," Natasha told her, rolling her eyes, "He's just being annoying."

"Okay," Jane laughed slightly nervously.

"Let's move the food into the big dining room."

Tess stayed quiet. Thor had yet to-

"Who is this, Avengers?"

"I'm Tess Myria, a lab experiment from HYDRA."

Thor looked slightly confused, "Surely you are more than that. Have you any successes in battle? Talents? A person is more than their beginnings!"

Tess smiled slightly, "No, no fighting experience, but I can fly!"

She spread her wings out, side to side, their tips just barely not touching the two walls.

"Very impressive! My friend Valkyrie would be proud!"

"That's what they called me! Valkyrie!"

"Then you are her namesake," Thor smiled, "Take the name with pride, Tess Myria, and never forget how important you are. You bear the name of a great warrior of Asgard after all!"

After lunch, Tess went to her bedroom. She slept for several hours, and by the time she awoke, it was dinner. They ate dinner in the kitchen, Tony having elongated the table to fit three more people. This time Tess sat next to Clint and Darcy.

"Those are pretty rad," Darcy commented, pointing to her wings, "How'd you get them?"

"HYDRA gave me some injections and did a few procedures. Some of my friends could do even cooler things than fly with wings. Some could turn invisible, make fire, shape-shift!"

"That sounds pretty cool."

"The people there were pretty nice there, other than the security guards," Tess admitted.

Everyone stopped eating and listened to her. The Avengers were curious.

"We had Caretakers. Many of them would talk about the incentives program or something. But I think it was more of a blackmail system. Most of the doctors were in that. The Caretakers, too. The security guards were mean though. They'd beat us if we stepped out of line or used our powers without permission."

"That's horrible," Pepper breathed.

Tess shrugged, "You got used to it. You did everything they said. We had combat training, and I was trained to kill a person in less than ten seconds. Daggers and guns were top priority."

"You never told us that," Tony pointed out.

Tess looked up in fear, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no," Steve insisted, giving Tony a glare, "You're fine. We just didn't know."

"It's not exactly something I advertise."

"Point taken."

"Don't worry, I was trained since I was five to kill," Natasha added.

"I was trained to use a bow when I was six," Clint went along with the idea.

"I was eighteen when I joined the army," Steve nodded.

"I started making weapons when I was ten," Tony agreed.

Thor puffed out his chest, "I fought my first foe when I was seven!"

"I had my first kiss when I was eight."

Everyone stared at Darcy.

"What'd I say?"


	6. Spread Your Wings

It was late that night when Tess couldn't sleep and she decided to get up and walk around for a bit. First thing she did was make her way to the kitchen for a glass of water. She was very thirsty. Grabbing a glass, she filled it up with filtered water and sat down at the bar counter.

"You doing okay?"

Tess spun around in surprise. She hadn't noticed archer sitting on the couch with some scones and a glass of milk.

"Can't sleep," she sighed, walking over and joining him on the couch.

He grunted, "Wonder why. It's been a long few days for you."

"Yeah, seriously," she agreed, "My world has turned completely upside down."

"What did HYDRA tell you about SHIELD?"

"Horrible things," Tess shuddered, "They told us you were murderers and would dissect us."

Clint nodded, "We say the same about HYDRA."

"HYDRA isn't that bad," Tess shook her head, "The Security Department is, but the Medical and Sciences are just there because they have to. The Incentives Program is really just an elaborate form of blackmail. So everyone is reluctant to do the bad things."

"Nonetheless," Clint argued, "HYDRA is intent on destroying America. We can't let that happen."

"No, of course not."

"Just ask Steve. He's had more experience with HYDRA than even Natasha and I have."

They sat in silence, eating the chocolate chip scones. Tess was longing to stretch her wings and eventually she said goodnight to Clint and took the elevator up to the very top floor, the rooftop lounge. The breeze ruffled her wings and she felt the freedom of the night. In the night she was concealed, hidden from prying and judgmental eyes. In the night she could be who she was meant to be. Tess walked up to the roof edge and stood there, letting the wind ruffle her hair and her wings and her clothes. Then, she jumped.

Tess fell, before suddenly her wings sprung out and she was carried upon the wind. She flew high up into the sky, to where she felt she could almost touch the moon and the stars. She felt the blackness and felt its warmth and its silent hug as she flew through the sky. Far below her were the twinkling lights of New York City's streets and shops.

She relished the night. She enjoyed the power she felt alone, far up in the sky, without judgment. It was times like these that she felt the pain HYDRA had caused her. Anger welled up inside her and she wanted to kill. She wanted revenge on those who had dared cause her harm. They thought they'd won that fight, but they'd only lost their minds.

But then the reality sunk in that she had done this to herself. She had agreed to the procedures. There had been no incentives program for her; she hadn't needed it. She'd waltzed in there and given up her body for their petty experiments. Now look at her.

Did she love her wings? Did she hate them? She could never decide. Tess guessed the answer was both. She loved the power and freedom her wings gave her at times like these. But at the same time she hated the attention it got her during the day. She wished it could be night all the time when she wasn't afraid to spread her wings and fly.

She flew lower to the buildings, perching atop one. She looked down on the city. From here, Tess felt powerful. She felt on top of the world. She could be in charge of all the little people below. Then she shook her head. What was she saying? She'd always had a bit of a power-hungry streak but she'd been able to control it.

She jumped off the building again.

"Wooooooohooooooo!"

* * *

"Tess?"

Steve was knocking on her door.

"I'm in the shower!"

"Breakfast is in ten, if you're up for it."

"I'll be down in five!"

She finished washing her hair and her wings and, in her gigantic bathroom, flapped her wings dry. Slipping into her clothes, she squeezed the last excess water out of her hair and went down to the kitchen her hair still drying.

"What's for breakfast?"

"Bruce's making pancakes this morning," Steve told her.

"Yum!"

"Glad you like pancakes," Bruce said from the stove.

Tess nodded, "Love them."

"What smells so good," Darcy grinned, walking in from the elevator.

"Pancakes," Tess told her.

"Hey girl, how're you doing this fine morning," Darcy smiled at her, taking her seat next to Tess.

"I'm doing well," Tess smiled, "Thank you."

"Psh, girls gotta stick together, kid!"

They ate breakfast, Nat and Clint eventually joining them. At last, Pepper came downstairs pulling Tony behind her saying something about "needing to get up at a reasonable hour." Thor and Jane were last to join the group, and by that time, Tess had retreated to the TV lounge on the level below.

"Can I join you," Steve asked her.

"Sure," Tess nodded.

"How're you doing? Tony told us you left the tower last night."

"I went for a fly," she assured him, "That's all. How did Tony know?"

"Jarvis told him."

"Ah."

"Where'd you go?"

"All around," she said, "Nowhere in particular. I just kind of go with the wind, you know."

"No, I don't, but I'll take your word for it."

Tess smiled. She supposed no one really understood her. That made her sad. She'd never find a soulmate to take comfort in. Tess reminded herself she was only 16. But then, who could love a freak like her? No one.

She was alone. She would forever BE alone. No one understood her, no one ever could. She was an enigma, a freak, a creature to loathe. She hated herself; how could she expect someone else to love her if she herself did not?


	7. Birdie with a Shotgun

"Avengers! Doctor Doom's Doombots are attacking New York City," Fury told them, "Get out there and stop them."

Tony groaned but nodded to the eye-patch over the video feed. Steve had already hopped up from the breakfast table and was running to get his suit on. Clint stood with Natasha and they nodded to each other.

"Meet you guys up on the quinjet," Clint told them.

"Can I come," Tess asked, desperate to be of use.

"Can you seriously fight," Natasha asked critically.

Tess looked serious, "Yes."

"Then come on."

Tess ran to change into a suit that Natasha gave her.

"It's too small for me, should work for you. Just don't zip the back all the way and cut it out," she'd told her.

"Thanks."

They met in the Quinjet, but Valkyrie, Iron Man, and Thor were set on flying to the scene of the attack. On the way, Tony warned Tess about the doom bots, doom dogs, and doom demons that came from Dr. Doom.

"Pretentious name," Tess said over the radio earpiece.

Tony laughed, "Yeah."

Tess stayed back being the Quinjet, not sure of how to proceed. When the jet landed, Tess took in the scenes around her. Women and children especially were in danger. It seemed that the Doom Dogs were going after the little ones, eager for 'snacks' even though they can't eat because their robots. Oh well, they're still dogs.

Tess decided to start there. She flew down and used her wings to blow the dogs off their feet before landing between them and the children. With a shout she began peppering the dogs with bullets, knocking many of them back. Pulling out a voltage explosive that Natasha had slipped her, she tossed it into the fray and it exploded, shorting out most, if not all, the dogs.

Tess continued to use her wings to block the children from the fighting. She used her guns when needed but for the most part, her wings seemed to intimidate the Doom Dogs. Fortunately, the Doombots and Doom Demons were focusing on the other Avengers.

When the fight was all but over, she turned around with her wings spread to face the children. Suddenly three shots rang out. Tess stared in horror and shock at the citizen man who was holding the shotgun. He looked frightened and angry.

Instantly she felt blood pooling from her chest. Her wings stung. She stumbled back.

"Help," screamed one of the children when Tess couldn't make a sound, so shocked was she.

Tony and Clint turned to see what was wrong. They saw Tess stumble back and fall to the ground, unable to support herself. They both ran towards her in worry. Clint immediately sought for the attacker and found a stunned man standing with a shotgun.

"What did you DO?!"

He ran at him angrily and ripped the shotgun from his grasp and ordered the other bystanders to watch him.

He examined the gun to figure out what kind of rounds were fired. Identifying the weapon he rushed back over to where Stark was out of his armor and tearing off his shirt to act as a compressor.

Tess had a bullet wound in her chest, on the left side. She also had a two holes in her left wing which were miraculously healing at a fast rate. But her chest wound, her chest wound was not. By this time, Natasha, Hulk, Thor, and Steve had finished off the last doombots and come running over.

"Flappy alright," Hulk asked.

"Hulk! HULK we need Banner NOW," Tony ordered.

"Hulk no LIKE going back!"

"You want to save Flappy? We need Bruce."

Hulk grunted angrily but began shrinking back to normal size.

"She's going into shock," Natasha said concernedly.

"What are we dealing with," Bruce said quickly.

Steve was at his side. He, plus the two SHIELD agents, knew emergency triage.

"12-gauge shotgun. Three entry points, two in the wings one in the chest," Clint revealed.

"Onset of anaphylactic shock," Natasha added.

"YOU," Bruce yelled to a bystander, "Call an ambulance. NOW."

The woman nodded and pulled out her phone. Dialing 911 she got an ambulance on the way.

"Give me your cloak, Thor," Bruce told him, "And get me a piece of debris tall enough to elevate her feet on, Steve."

Steve rushed over to a pile of rubble and grabbed a concrete block about 12 inches high. He placed it under her feet and Bruce moved on to the next step.

Tess was crying, gasping for breath as she bled a little from the mouth.

"He- he shot me!"

"Shh, listen to me, Tess, everything's going to be okay."

He loosened her suit so it was easier for her to breath. Placing the cloak on her like a blanket he brushed the hair out of her face.

"I'm going to die. I'm gonna die," she sobbed.

Steve shook his head, "No. No you won't. Remember I told you I'd try to keep you safe? Well, we all will. We promise."

"Steve take over, I need some air or Hulk is gonna make an appearance."

Steve nodded and crouched down next to Tess. She was shivering and sweating profusely. She coughed a bit on the blood that was welling within her mouth. Gently, Steve moved her mouth to the side so the blood could drain and she wouldn't choke on it.

Finally, after what seemed like hours but was only a matter of minutes, an ambulance pulled up. The EMTs rushed out and ran over to the little group.

"How the hell are we supposed to treat that thing," one of the whispered to another.

"She's a person, damn it, treat her," Clint yelled angrily.

They realized who the little group was and once they recognized the Avengers, they got right to work. Within a matter of a couple minutes, they got her up into the stretcher and finally the ambulance. The ambulance drove away with finality and the others rested on the ground.

"Why'd you shoot her," Tony asked the man angrily.

"She was going to attack the children. Her wings-"

"Her wings don't mean she's a villain," Tony spat out, "She was protecting them!"

"Well how was I supposed to know that?!"

"Excuse me, Mr. Iron Man," a little boy tugged on his pants.

Tony turned to look at the boy, "What, kid?"

"Will the bird-lady be okay?"

"We don't know. We're going to do our best to make sure."

Steve walked over with several policemen.

"This man assaulted one of our comrades and shot her."

"She had WINGS! How was I supposed to know she wasn't attacking the children."

"Oh, it was that new bird-girl you all are hanging around with," the policeman said.

"Yes, now arrest him," Tony said.

"Well, he has a point."

"It's the law, sir," Natasha gritted her teeth, "And if you don't take him in, SHIELD will."

"Alright, hold your temper. Sorry sir. Law is the law," he handcuffed the pleading man who'd shot Tess and pulled him to the police car. He didn't seem very convinced though.

With that over and done with, the Avengers went over to where the Quinjet had been parked.

"Well. That isn't good."

The quinjet had been destroyed by several doombots.

"Guess we're walking to the hospital," Clint sighed.

"You guys, maybe," Tony grinned, "I'll meet you there."

He got back into his suit and took off towards the local hospital. In reality he was rather worried about Tess not only because of the bullet wound itself, but because of the kind of bad treatment she might get for being a HYDRA experiment.


	8. Recovery

_"Here I stand, helpless and left for dead._  
_Close your eyes, so many days go by._  
_Easy to find what's wrong, harder to find what's right."_

_- Dance with the Devil, Breaking Benjamin_

* * *

"I'm here to see Tess Myria," Tony Stark told the nurse. He'd changed out of his suit and had bought a new shirt on the way to the Hospital.

"She's in surgery at the moment," the nurse told him, "You can sit here and wait until she's out."

By the time Tess was out of surgery and awake, the rest of the Avengers and Darcy, Jane, and Pepper had arrived.

"We can only allow three people up at a time," the nurse shook her head.

"Tony, Clint, Steve," Bruce suggested, "Why don't you three go up first."

Everyone agreed and the three men went to the elevator. They took it up to the eighth floor and found room 825. Knocking, the nurse who was busy setting Tess comfortably in bed with her wings. The nurse left the room, leaving them with the girl.

"How you doing, kid," Tony asked, pulling up one of the chairs. Steve and Clint pulled two more over to the bedside.

"It hurts," she whined.

"I know," Tony nodded.

"Why'd he shoot me?"

The three men remained silent.

"Because you scared him," Steve said, "I thought the world had evolved since 1945, but it hasn't. There's just as much fear and anger when faced with something different then yourself."

"I was helping," she cried softly, "I didn't do anything!"

"We know. We trust you," Clint nodded, "It wasn't your fault."

"But I must have done something wrong," Tess shook her head, "I must have scared him somehow."

"No."

She looked at Steve in surprise at how adamant he was. Tess examined the faces of her other friends and they had the same set look. She felt a little spark of pride in her heart. Did she actually have friends?

"How long do you think I'll be in here?"

"Probably in the hospital for at least a week, then be homebound for 8 to 10 weeks," Clint told her seriously.

She groaned.

"We'll stay with you," Steve assured her, "Don't worry."

"You will?"

"Of course," Clint said quickly.

Tony nodded in response.

"That means the world."

They stayed and chatted for another ten minutes before Steve volunteered to stay while Tony and Clint went to get the next round of visitors.

"Steve," she started quietly, somewhat embarrassed, "Why weren't you afraid of me?"

Steve looked at her in surprise, "Why should I be?"

"I'm a trained assassin, I have WINGS, I'm an experiment. What isn't scary about me?"

"I've run into a lot scarier than you, kid. Don't worry about that. I was a little put off by your wings at first, but you seemed nice enough so I just looked past them."

"That was appreciated," she nodded, "Believe me!"

"The real question we should be asking," Steve supposed, "Is why other people can't look past the wings and see the girl."

She agreed readily.

The Avengers and friends took their turns speaking to Tess, some more awkwardly than others. After all, she hadn't been with the Avengers for very long yet, and as such they didn't know what to say. They were sorry, of course, for what had happened. They wished they could've prevented it. But what COULD one say? Tess had become a victim to prejudice and racism. Did anything make sense when that happened?

The more Tess thought about it, the angrier she got. Anger, fear, and resentment became her constant companion. Fear of where the next attack would come from. Anger that the attack would come. Resentment for the attacker.

"How am I supposed to care for someone with wings," she heard a nurse say to his fellow nurse one day.

"Why does she even have wings," the other nurse replied.

"Some freak accident I think."

"I overheard that a foreign nation performed experiments on her," the second nurse told the first.

"They shouldn't have brought her here. She's freaky."

Tess blushed in anger. How dare they talk about her like that right outside her door, with the door OPEN. Obviously they couldn't care less whether or not she overheard their conversation.

It was like this every day. Tess was so happy the day she was sent home.

The Avengers and their friends spent time in her recovery room each day keeping her company. She enjoyed each visit, but her favorites were Clint's, Darcy's and of course, Steve's. One day, several weeks into her home stay, Steve was sitting in with her. They spoke of many things, including his old life.

"What was it like, back in the '40s," Tess asked curiously, eating some popcorn that he'd brought her.

Steve considered this, "Different. Not better, not worse, just different. Girls especially dressed differently. I spent most of my time in the army though."

"What was that like?"

"Oh I don't know," he shrugged, "I suppose it was thrilling. I felt honored to serve my country in the military. Me and Bucky, we used to have tons of fun off duty too."

She loved when he smiled like that, it made her feel at home. It was infectious and she smiled along with him.

"There was this one time," Steve laughed, "When we were at a bar. I'd left the Howling Commandoes at a table to go get drinks at the bar with Bucky. While we were standing there, Peggy walks up in this gorgeous red dress. I could tell Bucky was staring at her like a crazy man. After all, it wasn't every day a soldier got to see a woman in a beautiful dress."

"What happened?"

"Well, he was used to being the one to pick up all the girls, but this time she wanted to dance with me. Let me tell you, the look on Buck's face was priceless!"

Tess laughed, "I bet!"

"Alright you two," Bruce smiled, coming to the door, "I'm afraid it's my turn. Get out Steve!"

"Hello, Bruce," Tess smiled as Steve and he traded places.

"Good morning, Tess, time for me to check the bandages."

She grimaced but allowed him to lift the shirt up so he could reach the bullet hole.

"It's healing well," he pronounced firmly, "Let me change the dressing."

He did as he'd stated and rewrapped her chest, carefully. The last thing they needed was for the hole to reopen.

For the first time in weeks, Tess felt that maybe she could forgive the man who'd done this to her and move forward.

But then Tony dropped a bomb.

"Legally, you need to get back into the school system," Tony told her, "As soon as you are healthy enough, that is."

"School?"

"Yeah, what grade were you in?"

"I was a sophomore."

"Then you'll be a Junior next week at NY High," he nodded, "Steve and Pepper are out getting you school supplies."


	9. Jessica

_A/N: Sorry for the long delay, I went on vacation and then ran into a crucial spot in my main story, The Changeling. Here we are, day one of school! Maybe you'll see some familiar faces, but this will not be an Amazing Spiderman crossover. A second trailer for this fanfic is up on YouTube by the way called Valkyrie Trailer 2 {Avengers Fanfiction}, along with a trailer for a potential new fic called Shadow Rising {Avengers Fanfiction}._

_Reviews are always appreciated!_

* * *

Pepper offered to drive Eliza to school the first day as it was one of Happy's days off. Tess was scared out of her mind. The school knew of Tess' predicament with her wings but had told the Avengers, who now had legal guardianship of Tess, that it wouldn't be a problem. The school year had just started after all, and surely the wings wouldn't pose too much of an issue.

When Tess got out of the limo, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared. Tess' wings began to shake in fear.

"Can't I be homeschooled," Tess turned around and begged Pepper.

Pepper looked at her sadly, "We're working out the legal issues with having a computer program act as a primary instructor, but for now, it's regular school for you. You'll do fine."

A man in a black suit and tie got out of a black car nearby and walked over.

"Ms. Potts, if you'll turn her over to me please."

"Sure, Phil. Take care of her."

"You know I will," Coulson assured her, "Hello Tess. I'm Agent Coulson. I'll be acting as your body guard for the foreseeable future while you attend school."

She shook his hand. She was pretty nervous still, even knowing she would be having a body-guard.

There was a crowd of kids out front staring at her and whispering god-only-knows what about her wings that made Tess very uncomfortable. Her chest began to hurt as her bullet wound stung.

"Miss Myria," Phil Coulson stated, "I'm Agent Phil Coulson, but you can call me Phil since we will be working closely together."

"Nice to meet you," she managed to stutter out.

"I have your itinerary here," he said, pulling out a folded up piece of paper, "It says your first class is English. Shall we?"

"Sure, sir."

"Phil."

"Right," Tess nodded, "Phil."

They walked inside the school and Tess did her best to squeeze her wings together to keep from bumping other students. The majority of students stopped in the halls and stared at her, laughing or simply investigating. Ever present behind her was the stern and calm presence of this new man, Phil Coulson.

Tess wondered how he knew the Avengers and why he'd been picked to be her body guard. She tried to focus on the Avengers and not on the stares and gawks that were being shot at her from the other students.

At last they came to a door labeled "118". Walking inside, Tess found it was a large room with two black chalk boards and posters of books and authors all over the walls. It smelled of old books and coffee. Tess noted there were three or four students in the classroom already, three girls and a boy. The boy was sitting on a desk, talking to two of the girls. The third girl sat in the back, quietly waiting for class to start. All four looked up in awe as Tess walked inside.

"Ah," said the teacher, coming over, "You must be Tess Myria."

He shook her hand.

"Yes sir," she nodded.

"I'm Mister Brooks, English teacher."

"Pleasure to meet you sir," Tess replied with a half-smile.

"If you'll come this way," Mr. Brooks said, "Your desk is this one here."

The teacher led her to the back next to the girl with dark brown hair. The girl looked up at Tess and then looked away, trying her best not to stare. Tess took her seat quietly as the class began to fill.

"I'll be right back here," Coulson whispered to her, gesturing to the back of the classroom in a small chair.

She nodded and took out her books for English class.

"What's your name," the girl next to her eventually asked, turning back to look at her.

"Tess Myria," Tess said with a small smile, "What's yours?"

"Jessica Jones."

"Nice to meet you," Tess smiled lightly before turning her attention to the teacher.

"Today we will be going over Native American myths," Mr. Brooks said excitedly, "Each myth is laced in meaning and subconscious desires!"

"Sounds like a bunch of crap to me," said the boy who had been in there earlier.

"Mr. Thompson," Mr. Brooks frowned, "Please try to be respectful of other cultures, especially when we have a new student in the class."

"You mean her," Thompson pointed at Tess, "The freak?"

"Is that going to be a problem, Mr. Thompson," Agent Coulson asked from the back of the room.

"Who are you," Thompson asked.

"Mr. Coulson, Miss Myria's personal bodyguard," Agent Coulson told the boy.

"Why does she need a body guard," another student asked.

"To keep people like Mr. Flash Thompson here, Emma, from bullying her," Mr. Brooks replied, "Now, back to the lesson."

The first three periods of the day went remarkably similar to this. The class would start out with someone insulting Tess and end with a fine class lesson. She was finally growing used to the routine when lunch came around.

"So Phil," Tess asked as they went to her locker and she got her lunch, "How do you know the Avengers?"

"I work for an organization known as SHIELD. SHIELD helps sponsor the Avengers and I've worked with Clint and Natasha for years," he revealed to her, "I used to be their handler."

"That's cool," Tess nodded.

"Hey Tess," came a voice from behind a crowd of people.

Tess looked around for the source of the call.

"Hi Jessica," Tess smiled, "How are you doing?"

"I'm good," she nodded, "I was wondering if you and Mr. Coulson would want to sit with me at lunch?"

"Sure," Tess said happily.

"Hey Bird-brain," Flash Thompson called out to her as they walked into the cafeteria, "How's your first day going?"

"Ignore Flash," Jessica told her, "The damn jock thinks he's better than everyone."

"Well my wings don't help matters," Tess muttered.

Jessica nodded as they sat down, Phil Coulson sitting a bit away from the two girls.

"How did you get wings, if you don't mind me asking?"

Tess shuffled her feet beneath the table subconsciously, "I was part of an experiment. They did genetic alterations."

"That's scary," Jessica muttered, "To have to go through, I mean. Not your wings."

"It's okay," Tess sighed, "I know everyone's afraid of me."

"I'm not," Jessica assured her.

Tess smiled, "Hey, would you want to come over to my place after school today to work on the project for Mr. Brooks?"

"I'd love to," Jessica nodded, "Rumor has it you live with the Avengers. Is it true?"

"Yes," Tess nodded quietly, "I'm still getting used to it."

"That's pretty cool. I work for a newspaper and write articles about the Avengers sometimes," Jessica told her.

Soon enough lunch was over and the girls realized they had their next class together, science. The teacher was one Dr. Raymond Warren. Jessica seemed excited.

"In the first few days I've known him, Dr. Warren has been amazing," Jessica told her, "She always helps me out when I need assistance."

As it turned out, Jessica was right. Dr. Warren was nothing but friendly and helpful to Tess while in class, even going so far as to allow Agent Coulson some time alone with Flash Thompson. When he came back inside, Flash seemed a little bit more than frightened of Coulson. Who knows why?

All in all, despite the mistreatment of her during many of her classes, Tess considered her school day a success. After all, she was a misfit. To herself, she deserved the mistreatment and abuse she received as it was only natural. She was a rogue experiment, someone who shouldn't be allowed out in the real world, but who has been given a fluke chance. She would be sure not to screw that chance up.


	10. Flight

_A/N: In case I haven't made it clear, I do not own Jessica Jones. She is a Marvel character!_

* * *

"The car's parked around back," Coulson told the girls as Jessica and Tess walked along the sidewalk leaving school.

"Lead the way, Phil," Tess gestured.

Coulson nodded and went ahead, guiding the girls around back of the school to the parking lot. The car that Tess and Jessica were to ride in was a special made tall car, giving room for Tess' wings. They climbed into the vehicle and after some adjustments to accommodate Tess, Coulson got into the driver's seat and buckled up. Pulling out of the parking lot, he headed for Avengers Tower.

When they got there, Coulson opened the door for Tess and Jessica, and the two teenagers crawled out. They walked up to the front door of the tower and were met by Tony and Pepper arguing.

"You're needed, Tony! Just one meeting!"

"Fine, Pepper, Fine. When is it?"

"This Wednesday, two days from now."

"Put it on my calendar, J," Tony told the AI.

"Aye, sir. And sir, Miss Myria and another teenager are here with Agent Coulson of SHIELD."

Pepper and Tony turned around in surprise and found that indeed Tess and a friend, followed by Coulson, had entered the Tower.

"How was your first day of school, kid," Tony asked with a smile as they headed over.

"It was alright," Tess shrugged, "This is Jessica Jones. We're going to work on a project for school upstairs if that's alright."

"Jessica," She said as she shook Tony's hand.

"Tony Stark."

"I'm Pepper Potts."

Jessica nodded and thanked them for letting her stay.

"Of course," Pepper smiled, "Tess' friends are welcome here any time! Feel free to work in the lounge too, I'm sure the other Avengers would love to meet Jessica!"

"Alright, come on," Tess smiled, pulling Jessica along with her to the elevator.

When the girls had disappeared into the elevator, Pepper and Tony turned to Phil.

"How did her day really go, Phil," Pepper asked in concern.

Phil Coulson sighed, "She survived. There was a lot of teasing and stares and the likes, but with me there it died down as soon as it started."

"Is she going to do alright there," Tony asked him.

Coulson shrugged, "I think so. The fact that she made a friend today will really help matters. I intend to do a background check on Miss Jessica Jones and see what I can find, but I have a good feeling about their friendship."

The girls arrived on the lounge level to grab snacks and as it turned out, the Avengers were all there. Steve and Bruce were playing a game of chess while Clint and Natasha watched a hockey game. Thor was rummaging through the pantry for goodies.

"Welcome home, Tess," Bruce smiled at her from their chess game, "Who's this?"

"Everyone, this is Jessica, Jessica, this is everyone," Tess joked, referring to the Avengers.

"I'm Clint Barton."

"Natasha Romanoff."

"Steve Rogers."

"Bruce Banner."

"Thor, my lady!"

"Where're Jane and Darcy," Tess asked in confusion.

"Grocery shopping," Natasha told Tess.

"Ah," she nodded, "Well we're going to grab some snacks and go do homework."

They did just that. Tess grabbed a bag of popcorn while Jessica grabbed the Oreos and M&Ms. Retreating back into the elevator they took it up to Tess' bedroom floor. They went inside the main room with the bed and the couches.

The girls spent hours working on math and English and science homework. At one point, Clint came up to check on them.

"You girls still okay," he asked with a smirk, "Not working too hard, are you?"

"When's dinner," Tess quizzed him, rolling her eyes.

"Jane and Steve are whipping up pasta right now. I'll have Jarvis call you down when it's ready," Clint replied.

"Thanks, Clint," Tess smiled at him gratefully.

Jessica turned to Tess once Clint had left, "He's pretty cute."

Tess made a face, "These people are my family, don't make me think of them like that!"

"And Captain Rogers," Jessica whispered after several minutes of math homework, "Did you see his muscles."

"Jess!"

"Sorry, sorry!"

"Miss Myria," Jarvis said, "Dinner is being served."

"Thanks Jarvis!"

Tess and Jessica left their math homework where it was and went downstairs to the dining room level. So many people were over that they had to use the big dining room instead of the small table in the kitchen.

Jessica took her seat next to Tess on the end. She placed her napkin on her lap and sat patiently as the others took their seats. Phil Coulson was staying for dinner as well.

Talk ranged from Clint and Natasha's most recent mission to Tony's newest suit to Pepper's current Stark Industries project. Jessica was entranced by it all; the idea of having dinner with the Avengers blew her mind. Finally talk turned to the two girls more directly.

"So, Tess," Jane asked between bites, "How was day one of school?"

"It was fine," Tess shrugged, "Phil put the jerks in their place."

Coulson smirked silently.

"How about your day, Jessica?"

"Fine," she shrugged too, "Thank you for asking, Ms. Foster."

"Where do you live, Jessica," Natasha asked her.

"Hell's Kitchen area. Not the nicest part of town," Jessica snorted, "but it's home."

"Do you have any siblings," asked Tony.

"No," she shook her head, "Just me."

"How did you and Lady Tess meet," asked Thor.

"English class," Tess told them, "I was put next to her in the back."

"And at lunch she was getting picked on by Flash Thompson," Jessica reminded her with a smirk, "But Agent Coulson put him in his place later on."

Again, a silent smirk from Coulson.

After dinner, the girls returned to the upstairs to finish their homework. It was late, almost ten o'clock, when they finished up. That's when Jessica asked Tess something.

"Hey Tess," she asked as she packed up her backpack, "Can I see you fly?"

Tess grinned, "Sure! But don't tell the Avengers that I fly around at night. It's my secret!"

They went up to the rooftop and Tess flapped her wings. She flew up into the night sky, her dark brown wings seemingly black against the midnight blue. She did a flip in midair, before coming down closer to Jessica so she could talk. But suddenly, the seemingly impossible happened.

Jessica flew up to her.

"Holy shit," Tess gaped, "How are you doing that?"

"It's a long story," Jessica shrugged, "All you need to know now is I got exposed to some radiation and it gave me weird powers. You're the first person I've met like me!"

"Jessica," Tess let a tear roll down her face, "You have no idea how much it means to me that you have powers! It's like we were MEANT to meet! You and me, against the world!"

"Exactly! But let's get down before the Avengers wonder where we are," Jessica laughed.

The two girls flew down and landed on the rooftop before Tess hugged Jessica.

"I'm so glad I met you."

"Me too!"

"Come on, Pepper will drive you home."


	11. HYDRA is Watching

The next day of school, Phil Coulson was a little late arriving. Tess went to her designated meeting spot and sat to wait. She was humming a little tune when a shadow fell across her path. She looked up, but no one was there. All she saw was the tell-tale ripple effect she had been so accustomed to seeing while with HYDRA.

"Jena-"

An invisible hand grabbed by the arm and covered her mouth, dragging her into the bushes nearby.

The invisible girl turned visible and dropped Tess to the ground. Jena was large and muscular, with jet-black hair and tan skin. She was originally from China according to her HYDRA file but had been given up to an orphanage upon her birth. From there she was bought by HYDRA and trained to be their puppy-dog.

"Jena," Tess breathed, "What are you doing here."

"Rescuing you," Jena pretended, "After all, the Avengers are holding you captive!"

"No, they aren't. They're helping me! They can help you too!"

"I've got HYDRA covering my back," Jena shook her head, "And I'm here to make sure you don't do anything you'll regret later on. After all, you're still one of HYDRA's experiments. We belong to them. We owe them our lives."

Tess nodded, this was true. She did owe HYDRA for her abilities, but whether she appreciated that or not, she still wasn't sure. Nonetheless, it was good to see a familiar face, even if it was Jena (the two hadn't gotten along very well).

"Stay out of my way while you're here, Jena," Tess warned, "I'm fine with HYDRA keeping tabs on me, but try to be your own person for once. Don't just do HYDRA's bidding."

"I'll keep that in mind," Jena smirked.

The two girls made sure the coast was clear before both walked out into the school courtyard and Jena left Tess to gather her things while she went to class. Just as Tess had gotten all her books together, Phil Coulson pulled up.

"Good morning, Tess."

"Phil," Tess nodded.

"Sorry I'm late, ran into.. a little trouble."

"Well you didn't miss anything," Tess said easily, not wanting to bring up Jena.

"I'm glad. Let's get you to your first class. What is it today," Phil Coulson asked her, "Science?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

They made their way through the hallway, Tess dodging as much as she could because of her wings. Coulson kept an eye open for anything suspicious, and nothing caught his eye. The whole day went by like this, Coulson watching for threats while Tess watched her wings. Flash Thompson made a couple snide comments throughout the day, but Jessica stuck by Tess' side when possible and the two of them were strong together. Jena hung back but was sure to keep an eye on Tess for HYDRA.

After school, Tess and Jessica went back to Avengers Tower again. This time Coulson couldn't stay, something about a HYDRA threat.

"Let's stop by the lounge on the way up," Tess suggested, "Grab some snacks for upstairs."

"Sounds good," Jessica nodded.

Clint and Bruce were in the lounge, playing a game of poker.

"Two," Clint said, placing two of his five cards down to trade in.

Bruce dealt two more cards to Clint.

"Oh, hey Tess," Clint said with a smile, "Welcome home."

"Thanks," she smiled, "We came up here for some munchies."

Bruce stood up, placing his cards down, "I'm afraid first things first. Time to check your dressing."

Tess groaned but nodded, "Let me get the food first, okay?"

"Fine, then meet me in the medical lab."

Tess nodded and rummaged around in the gigantic pantry.

"Where'd all the poptarts go," she asked in surprise. There had been an entire box there this morning!

"Ask Thor," Clint rolled his eyes.

Tess shrugged and nodded, "Naturally."

She settled on the same stuff as yesterday, or at least similar to it: bags of popcorn and of course, double-stuffed Oreos. Handing the cookies to Jessica, Tess led the way through the Tower to the medical floor.

When they got there, Bruce was waiting by the bed for her. Tess, dropping the popcorn, hopped up on the cushiony surface and waited for Bruce to undo her dressing. Bruce lifted her shirt up just high enough so that he could get at the wound coverings. With his scissors he cut away at the dressing, letting the gauze fall to the floor. As he picked it up, Jessica looked curiously at the wound on Tess' torso.

"How'd that happen," she asked curiously.

Tess closed her eyes painfully, remembering the fateful day weeks and weeks ago.

"I was trying to protect some children from an attack when I was shot by a bystander. I scared him."

"Remember, Tess, it was his fault, not yours, that you got shot," Bruce told her seriously as he inspected the wound, "Good news is, it's almost fully healed."

"That's definitely good," Jessica nodded.

Once Bruce was done rewrapping the wound, Tess pulled her shirt down and hopped off the bed. She picked up the popcorn and shouted thanks on her way out the door with Jessica. Today the girls didn't have too much homework, but it was enough that it made starting a priority. And besides, Tess had some questions for Jessica.

They sat down on the floor of Tess' large room and spread their books out on the floor. Before they started on anything, Tess turned to Jessica and insisted they talk about something ELSE first.

"How the heck did you get your powers?!"

Jessica closed her eyes in pain, causing Tess' smile to drop.

"About a year and a half ago, my parents and I were in a major car accident with a military convoy. Both of them were killed. I was exposed to some radiation which I suppose it what gave me my powers. I was in a comma for nearly three months. When I came to, I started levitating. I managed to gain control relatively easily and after a total freak out, I realized I was different now. After I was adopted by my family, the Jones family last year, I isolated myself from everyone. It was the worst six months of my life. I had just lost my family, after all, but therapy's helped me through it."

"That's horrible," Tess said sadly, "I'm so sorry."

Jessica shrugged, "Now that I've met you, I'm not so alone anymore."

"I'm glad my wings have done something good," Tess smiled, "Now come on, we've got homework to do!"

"Joy."

Downstairs, as Pepper had roped Clint into helping her prepare dinner, the two were talking.

"I wonder what they're doing," Clint said curiously.

Pepper shrugged, "If they're not doing homework, then they're probably talking boys."

"That's what teenage girls DO," Clint asked in surprise, "Just talk boys?"

Pepper laughed, "What else do you want them to do. Their hormones are racing a mile a minute."

"I don't know, it's kind of weird."

"Hand me the salt," Pepper ordered.

"Salt."


End file.
